


Grieving for Two

by starry_wink



Series: PMMM AU [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, PMMM AU, everythings on sora's pov, im sad, the major chara death isnt really addressed but like, you'll get it!!!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-16 00:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18083948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starry_wink/pseuds/starry_wink
Summary: Visions of a Witch who drops two Grief Seeds could only be perceived as a mere daydream more than anything else. It's something that's never happened before, and even something Kyubey deemed impossible.





	Grieving for Two

**Author's Note:**

> local fool tries to write! it's a pmmm au and has spoilers(?) for that too :3 everything's on sora's perspective and also i didn't beta this or anything i just wanted to let this Out  
> enjoy!!

 

 

Visions of a Witch who drops two Grief Seeds could only be perceived as a mere daydream more than anything else. It's something that's never happened before, and even something Kyubey deemed impossible.  _ A Magus can only have one Soul Gem, and a Witch can only have one Grief Seed.  _ And Sora thinks it's okay; a Witch shouldn't bear the burden of having multiple despairs.  _ They've suffered quite Enough,  _ he reckons his mentor telling him.

Sora knows a lot despite not having formed a contract with Kyubey yet. His mentor, a veteran Magus has told him many times not to do so, and the lack of color from the small creature always did unsettle the poor boy (plus, he had no idea what to wish for yet). A few of his friends are already Magi themselves, and he could only tag along a few Witch hunts and hear stories of their many adventures. They were pretty new to the job themselves, only agreeing to form a contract shortly before the departure of a more experienced Magus they knew well.

_“I need someone else to ensure this city's safety for me.”_ _That was the first time Sora saw Yuuta. He thinks he's seen him before, but he looks entirely different than what he thinks was their first encounter. The Magus was clad in white, blue and gold, like a moon who restlessly watched over the night. His Soul Gem was placed on the center of his crescent hairpiece, safely fastened on the right side of his hair. He had a unique color, one that seemed so calm and confident― the kind that looked like it originated from a color far from its current shade._

_ And it was then when Sora realized that he's probably thinking about the wrong person. _

_ One of his friends― Tomo-chan, steps forward. “Tell Hinata to come back soon, yeah?” Yuuta who was staring off elsewhere let out a small sigh before facing them, a seemingly fond form of annoyance apparent on his expression, “He probably had too much fun fighting the Witches again. I'll be sure to teach him a lesson the next time I see him.”  _

_ Everyone had a laugh at that, spent several more minutes joking around with each other as if someone's departure wasn't being delayed. But Yuuta didn't mind it. Not one bit. _

_ For a moment, everything was okay. _

 

* * *

  
  


The same vision happened again in a dream― two Grief Seeds dropped by a single Witch. Sora had the quick opportunity to look at it closely, and both seem to have never been used for a Soul Gem before. He reports it to his mentor, but receives no confirmation other than a promise of investigating further. 

Which is why the thought gets stuck on his head, to the point that he felt the need to bring it up to his friends.

“Two Grief Seeds, you say?” Sora nods at Tsuka-chan to confirm, but he's only met with a look of confusion.

Mitsu-chan speaks next as he swirls the teacup in his hands, “Did you see what motifs they had?” Sora's brows furrow at that, shaking his head slowly in deep thought.

“If both seeds have the same motif, then it's gotta be from the same Witch, right?” Hime-chan ponders, “And I don't think that's ever happened before.”

“But could such a thing be possible, de gozaru?” Shinobu-chan blinks in curiosity, waiting for Sora's answer intently.

“...Kyuu-chan said it wasn't possible, but…”

“But…?”

 

* * *

 

_ Sora was fourteen when he first encountered a Witch. He was alone and didn't know better back then, easily lured into the Witch's labyrinth with sweets. It was only then he realized that the mysterious sweet colors lingering in the atmosphere concealed the malicious ones that only wished to do him harm.  _

_ He was so sure he's done for, eyes already clouded with tears as he awaited the Witch's familiars to end him for good, until... _

_ “Hey, hey! Humans are supposed to eat the sweets, not the other way around~?”  _

_ A beam of light eradicated the familiars in a single blast, and when Sora looks up, he thinks he's looking directly into the Sun. His orange hair blends well with his red and white outfit, green eyes sparkling the same way the gold accents of his outfit were. His Soul Gem glimmers under the light made by his entrance, placed at the center of the sun headpiece worn on the left side of his hair. “Woah, don't stare right at me now~? I'm getting stage fright!”  _

_ ―Is what his mystery hero says, even when he summons an array of blades from thin air and launches them against the enemies with a twirl. The ends of his outfit flow nicely along his movements. _

_ A barrier made of small spheres of light form around Sora. _

_ “Stay right there, ‘kay? I'll be right back!” _

_ After that, Sora doesn't remember anything else other than a strong, blinding light piercing through the entirety of the labyrinth. _

 

* * *

 

_ “A Witch is unable to drop two Grief Seeds, unless..." _

The next Witch they encounter is a powerful one, launching attacks one after another that the others can barely keep up to the point that their last resort was to flee for the meantime. It's not the first time the Witch was challenged; numerous Magi had fallen into its hands, never to be heard of in the real world again.

“It seems to have a nature of Hopelessness, and has been given the name Arescentibus Hominibus Sol,” Natsume discusses over a cup of tea. He wore a troubled expression the whole time reading the reports, sharp eyes digging onto every important detail he could find. “It wasn't so long since it Hatched, Either.” 

“My, my... And it's already this strong?” Tsumugi asks, worriedly stacking several books in order.

Natsume nods, “It would be dangerous for less-experienced Magi to go against It, moreso if they did it Alone. You should warn your Friends, Sora.”

Sora only looked at his mentor quietly, taking note of the murky colors that plague him.

“It aims straight for its prey's Hearts.”

 

* * *

 

Sora's friends didn't know better, of course, charging onto the Witch without haste. They had a course of action at least, but the success rate isn't something they can easily estimate.

He's somewhat frustrated that he can't quickly think of a good wish just to help them.

The Witch's familiars flock onto them immediately at the second of their arrival, with Tsuka-chan and Hime-chan being attacked directly by mirror images of themselves while Shinobu-chan and Mitsu-chan are encased within walls of mirrors. The Witch itself stands tall, dressed in what seems to be pitch black clouds that absorbs even light itself. Its curved lips looks like a crescent moon resting atop a dark sky more than anything. 

The colors of the Witch is something he's familiar with, but never seen before. It's almost as if there's a color resonating from deep within the Witch's core that only ends up getting swallowed by its murky, dark color.

_ If only there was something Sora could do... _

And as if on cue, Kyubey appears right beside him. “But you can! You have the capaci―”

Natsume arrives just in time to send the small creature  _ flying _ elsewhere within the labyrinth.

“Do Not..." He warns between ragged breaths, “Do not let it fool you in desperate Moments. Wishes are more likely to backfire that Way.”

A few more Magi join the battlefield, aiding the others with relative ease. Natsume takes a step towards the Witch and aims his rifle right at it.

“Arescentibus Hominibus Sol, you've grieved quite Enough.”

 

* * *

 

_ Sora wonders when he can meet his savior again. It’s a shame that he left so soon, not even getting to ask him for his name. He had a really unique color, one he grew fond for in the short period of their encounter. It was such a pure and friendly color, optimistic and shining with positivity. Though he can't help but wonder if he’s seeing things or actually saw hints of a color so out of place, hiding beneath the brighter ones. _

 

* * *

 

As it turns out, a considerably large team of Magi was enough to defeat such a powerful Witch. It was a long battle and required a lot of on-the-spot strategic thinking. In the midst of the other Magi's celebration, Sora finds himself walking towards the center of what was once the Witch's labyrinth.

It's a scene he's witnessed plenty of times before from his visions. A small walk across the abandoned graveyard, careful not to accidentally step on the flowers blooming here and there. Sora hears nothing else aside from the stale wind and the sound of his feet travel the land, and it took a while for him to register the sight of two Grief Seeds laid on the dry grass.  
  


 

_ “A Witch is unable to drop two Grief Seeds..." _

  
  


He recognizes the motifs on both Grief Seeds far too well.

  
  


_ “...Unless one of them is not their own.” _

  
  


_ Sora’s eyes have never betrayed him, which is why he's quick to analyze the forms of energy and color radiating from the Witch. In its final moments, it unleashed as much curses as it could, all the while holding onto something that seems so dear to them. It was the only time he could see its true colors clearly. _

_ He thinks he heard a call; a plea for its suffering to be finally put to an end. _

_ And he thinks he heard a ‘thank you’ as the labyrinth crumbled into nothingness. _

 

At the back of Sora's head, he wonders how long both of them suffered. He wonders if there'd ever be an outcome any better than this. He felt like there was something more than simply meeting an end as tragic as this; maybe he'd get along well with both of them, hunting for fun instead of hunting for Witches along everyone else. 

Was it fair for them to end up like that after all they've done? Pained, full of despair and regret, not even a sliver of hope cutting through the dark to save them?

“It's unfair... It's so unfair..."

Sora holds the Seeds close to his chest and grieves.

 

Sora's sobs manage to catch the attention of the rest, and everyone made haste to comfort him not knowing the reason for his tears. The poor boy is  _ shaking _ in Natsume's arms, gently being asked questions and receiving messages of comfort. Only after they got back home and calmed down was he able to show everyone else the Grief Seeds. 

Everyone didn't take the news too well, and just after Sora thought he's finally out of tears, he felt like crying all over again.

 

* * *

 

He is unsure of how long it's been. The two Grief Seeds stayed untouched in a small display case where everyone else can see. Everyone refused to use it, wouldn't allow it to ever be used, in fact. It's all they had left of them aside from the cherished memories they all had together.

In some nights, Sora couldn't get himself to fall asleep, only staring on the ceiling of his room in the company of his night lights. He wonders if there were any other possibility for Fate to not have been that cruel to the two. How it would've been to be friends with them, to know what their daily life was like before all this, their favorite food and colors. He wonders if he could have known them better, to be able to give hope just like they have.  _ If he would've been able to save them. _

 

“Well? What do you say?”

 

“..............”

 

Kyubey sat on the corner of his window in anticipation, tail swaying behind its back. It looks at him with the same unfocusing eyes, the same unsettling lack of color and the same offer.

His mentor would scold him harshly for his decision, but he could only utter a small apology before he tells Kyubey his wish.  
  


The burst of light coming from his room was nothing more than the first step of his very own journey to despair.

  
  
  
  


 

 

**Author's Note:**

> hehe :pain: thanks for reading! i might also write another chapter for the twins' side if i get the time and motivation! :9


End file.
